Children celebrate the season at Bush Intercontinental

The sounds of the holiday season come alive inside George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), and once again “holiday karaoke” played a major role in the celebration.

Singers found an opportunity to shine inside Terminal A at Bush Intercontinental, with the 2010-11 version of holiday karaoke placing a special emphasis on catering to younger passengers.

“In the past, we’ve encouraged children to hit the stage and sing their favorite holiday song,” said Ronnie Pickard, director of strategic airport relations and special projects. “But this year we took some extra steps to really build the entire event around them. We wanted to make sure they knew that the spotlight was shining primarily for them.”

The “spotlight” includes a massive stage area located in the ticketing area of Terminal A, as well as visits from Santa Claus himself, holiday elves and a balloon artist.

Children selected their favorite holiday song from a massive playlist that includes dozens of classics, with most of the singers opting for familiar tunes such as, “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” and “Frosty the Snowman”.

“It takes a little while for most of the children to warm up to the idea,” Pickard says. “But by the time they hit the last chorus, they’re usually operating at full volume.”

This is the third consecutive year that the Houston Airport System brought karaoke to the holiday travel experience.

Launched by an employee suggestion in 2008, airport karaoke has brought both national and international exposure. Airport employees involved with the event discovered that their reward is watching the parade of smiling faces crossing the stage on their way to the microphone.

“Children are constantly showing us adults how to truly enjoy the holidays and have fun with the season,” says Caroline Schneider, assistant airport director at Bush Intercontinental. “All we have to do is listen, and follow their lead.”